Freshman Anna Schueler discusses why putting on her No. 9 jersey for the first time at Villanova was so special and explains what the team is looking to improve upon for the home opener on Friday vs. Marquette.

On putting on her No. 9 uniform for the first time, which she wears in memory of her brother Henry ... "The first thing I thought was 'I wish he was here.' It was really cool because my parents flew out from Chicago. I think for everyone, in terms of putting on that Michigan uniform for the first time, it was special because it was something that not many people get to experience. As the day progressed, people were getting more and more excited. But of course when I put on the No. 9 jersey, I immediately thought of him (Henry). I'm upset the way the game turned out, but it was a really, really cool experience."

On the different emotions of playing the first game ... "When Kelly Kubach did her pump-up cheer that she does before every game, everyone was so ready to get out on the field and play. I think Tess (Korten) scoring that first goal so quickly settled us down and reassured us that we can compete at this level and we belong here. It was our first official game and it all became very real that we belonged there. I think that goal settled people down, but it also just excited people for the whole season to come -- it was a really good starting point for our season."

On tallying her first two career goals at Villanova ... "It was definitely really cool. I didn't really think about it when it happened -- you just score and go back to the circle. I was proud that I was able to do that and it was exciting to score my first two goals, but overall I was more upset that I didn't contribute in other ways."

On what the team took away from its first game ... "The only way you can take that game is as a learning experience. It was really exciting, but we all know that we did not play as well as we could have. I think people are pretty upset about that and it's only going to motivate us more for Marquette on Friday. What we took away was that we made mistakes that are very fixable so we just need to continue to work harder in weeks to come."

On the learning curve with the X's and O's at this level ... "I think the big thing our coaches were telling us in the fall was about the effort it was going to take at this level and I honestly think people really do see that know. Right now it's about getting down the X's and O's. We're all freshmen so the coaches are doing a good job of not throwing too much at us, but they are slowly implementing scouting reports and day-by-day we have to familiarize ourselves with the next opponent. Each player on the team is watching film whenever they can on our individual iPads, which is really helpful. We're learning that to play at this level, it takes a lot of effort, but also a lot of strategic thinking. We're becoming more and more accustomed to that and need to continually progress and take in more and more each game we play."

On preparing for the home opener vs. Marquette ... "Everyone has been talking about it since the end of the Villanova game. We were all upset about what happened, but cannot wait to play Marquette and get a chance to redeem ourselves. We didn't show what we're capable of against Villanova. I think playing at home is huge. Playing Marquette, we know they're a team we can compete with; we just have to play at a level we know we're capable of."